Why they enter politics in the first place: Lessons For Jemima Khan

   When the wives are perturbed by pricks of conscience   

“....my sons’ father is Pakistan’s

next PM. It’s an incredible lesson in

tenacity, belief & refusal to accept

defeat. The challenge now is to

remember why he entered politics in

the 1st place. Congratulations”

- Jemima Khan
on Twitter

Imran Khan must have felt sentimental when he read the tweet from his first wife Jemima congratulating him on Twitter.

That tweet must have rung a bell with any conscious voter in Sri Lanka; very unlikely that it would do so with a politician, though. In that Jemima is reminding Imran that he must keep the promises made to the populace who in turn has taken a veritable risk by electing an outsider in preference over seasoned politicos.

Let’s turn to Sri Lanka with Jemima’s caveat for Imran in mind, shall we? What could be the main reasons that voters opted to choose the leaders that they did in the first place; let’s take the Presidential Election as a reference point. Abolishment of the Executive Presidency, for starters? Eradicating corruption, obviously? Ensuring good governance, undoubtedly?

If Jemima was tweeting to a Sri Lankan Presidential candidate, she would be destined to be sorely disappointed, wouldn’t she?

Imran’s Victory has emboldened those wanting a non-political figure as Presidential Candidate locally. There is a web group called ‘Apita one Sanga’ (It is Sanga that we want). Well, if it wasn’t for Sanga, one would have thought that it was a site opened by the prospective candidate himself, as is the normal case in Sri Lanka. Yet, the Sanga we know, would not resort to such gimmicks and therefore we could safely conclude it is some group, at least, who want a personality like him on the political stage. We remember how Sanga politely declined the UK High Commissioner designation citing personal commitments to his family. I cannot help but wonder, if Sanga by any chance accepts the candidacy and gets elected, how his beloved wife Yehali would send him a message, along the lines of what Jemima sent to Imran i.e. that he should never set his eyes away from what made him enter politics, most probably against his initial reluctance. 

The Tryst 

There is a perennial problem with the Sri Lankan mentality which is magnified manifold when it translates into electoral aspirations of the populace, the majority in particular. The credulous belief in individual personalities of messianic proportions to deliver them from all evils. They did so with Chandrika, then Mahinda, some with Sarath and most of them with Maithri. They have done so with Ranil too, intermittently. Yet, no Moses has led them over the proverbial Red Sea of corruption and decay. 

Such bitter disillusionment with traditional leaders creates a throbbing desire to do a Macron or an Imran, at least, cometh the next election. 2020 election will witness an upsurge of independent candidates from civil society and professional spheres and they might do well compared to such aspirants in the past.

My concern lies elsewhere. With whom are they going to rule? Who will form their inner core of decision makers? Again going by the example of Sanga, can he do a mid-pitch dialogue with Mahela or Matthews as he did while being at the helm of Sri Lankan Cricket? Such reliable counsel is so scarce in the political field, isn’t it?

Systems and personnel

There is a lot of hype about the former Defence Secretary Gotabaya being a contender provided legal obstacles related to his dual citizenship are solved in his favour. The question arises yet again: Who will be his top flankers? Is it the retired military men, who demand the death penalty for academics and see all dissent as a hallmark of traitors? The rub lies here: The absence of systems, structures and personnel equipped for and interested in the ideals that the electorate expect from such figures, vitiates against any salutary outcome that might be wrought out from the election of such a candidate.

Those who have been lobbying for ‘apolitical’ candidates here will naturally be buoyed by the victory of the cricket star of Pakistan and will press their case further. In any event, the uncertainty among mainstream parties regarding their Presidential /Prime Ministerial candidates in an upcoming election fortifies the chances of such a character emerging from oblivion (in a political sense) vis-à-vis known and now stale personalities, who are either incapable or uninterested in making their priority, the country.

Imran faces a lot of challenges in leading Pakistan forward; it is one of the most vulnerable democracies in the entire world and a security hotspot that concerns superpowers such as the US and Western allies. India and China too have interests in the election result for different purposes. Ensuring that representative democracy does not expire prematurely in this war-torn country will be first and foremost in the mind of Imran and his aides. The question of alleviating poverty comes next. Yet, the underlying election promise that he gave his countrymen of wiping out corruption will be the yardstick of his performance.

If he wants to

If Imran wants to stay focused on the reasons that made him enter politics in the first place and deliver goods, he has a unique opportunity. He does not have skeletons in the cupboard or the baggage that normally accumulates over time when you are a mainstream politician.

Certainly with regard to those unholy connections and relationships that politicos develop behind the curtain with businessmen, underworld and those with vested interests hardly burdens him. As the yahapalana experiment in Sri Lanka shows, even if your hands are not slimy with corruption, a long history of political and non-political allegiances and affiliations tend to arm-twist leaders in tackling issues such as corruption-thus the promises were given and expectations raised by the electorate scarcely see the daylight of materialisation.

Yes, if he wants to, Imran has an unprecedented opportunity; he has the support of his former wife too. But that is if he wants to do so.

In our context, in particular, how sad that the wives or the loved ones of those elected to political office, do not remind them to stick to the promises they made on their way to the top? Maybe I am wrong. Perhaps they do, and the messages from their wives (or ex-wives for that matter) would read very similar to Jemima’s.

‘Honey, do not forget the penthouse the stock market company promised us, ok?’

‘Darling, what about the Chairmanship of that Airliner for my brother? “

‘Have you forgotten about the hotel project in the heart of Knuckles?’

Oh, no! They never fail to make those reminders. The wives are so perturbed by these pricks of conscience. Just like Jemima Khan, they are actually reminding their spouses ‘what they entered politics for in the first place!’ We are a blessed lot to have such loved ones to remind our leaders of such things!

Maybe Jemima is due for a lesson or two from them, after all!